1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data communication and in particular to prepaid packet data service within a data communication network, such as a wireless packet data network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In 2000, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) released the technical specifications for third generation (3G) International Mobile Teleconumunications (IMT) technology under the brand IMT-2000, commonly referred to simply as 3G. 3G has a number of benefits over second generation (2G) technology, including increased transmission rates (e.g., a minimum speed of 2 Mbit/s for stationary users and 348 kbit/s in a moving vehicle versus 2G speeds ranging from 9.6 kbit/s to 28.8 kbit/s), support for the three predominant access technologies (Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)), and support for a wide range of value-added services such as wireless Internet access, wireless Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), personalized content delivery (news, stock quotes, etc.), entertainment, and video conferencing.
The present invention provides a prepaid packet data service within 3G wireless (and landline) data communication networks that employs efficient accounting and resource allocation methodologies.